Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Born as the daughter of a concubine of the lowest rank.
Chapter 18
The porcelain bowl striking the skull should have made a clear, pristine sound—but the squeal of a pig being slaughtered that pierced the quiet night sky was considerably louder than expected.
“What is that commotion!”
“Where is that noise coming from?”
From a distance came the sound of those who had been about to rest after their day’s labors rushing out in alarm at the shriek.
“Damn it……!”
And that sound surely reached the ears of Gyeong Eon Gun, who stood clutching his head where the porcelain bowl had struck it squarely, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.
Instead of staring him down, I opened my mouth wide and drew in a long, deep breath.
“Kyiiiieeeek!!”
“Young Miss?”
“That’s the Young Miss’s voice, isn’t it? Young Miss!! Where are you?!”
The Ladies-in-Waiting who recognized my voice now moved without hesitation, truly springing into action.
“Tch……!”
Understanding the situation, Gyeong Eon Gun glared at me as though he would devour me whole, then hurriedly fled the room.
Watching his retreating back, I quietly raised my middle finger.
‘Throwing tantrums isn’t something only you can do, you little brat.’
Of course, if that creature hadn’t run away and had instead charged at me willing to fight to the death, I couldn’t have guaranteed my safety—but I wasn’t the type to simply lie down and take it either.
“Phew.”
“Young Miss! Young Miss!!”
As I heard the voices of the Ladies-in-Waiting and the sound of hurried footsteps, relief flooded through me and my body went limp.
‘What am I going to do about that idiotic little brat.’
With my sigh, the peaceful atmosphere of the Inner Palace Residence grew turbulent.
The first to arrive were the Ladies-in-Waiting who had left to fetch food, followed by the Court Ladies stationed in the residence appearing one by one.
“Young Miss!!”
“Good heavens! What on earth……!”
Apparently I looked worse than I’d thought, for the Court Ladies rushed toward me in shock.
‘Ah, right. That bastard threw that…… at me.’
I’d been too angry to remember it myself, but clearly my current state wasn’t a pleasant sight.
After the Court Ladies had examined me in all directions and confirmed I had no injuries, they finally let out sighs of relief.
“How could the Young Miss have been alone!!”
“I beg your forgiveness, madam!”
These people, unable to know the truth, could only tremble and plead for their sins.
Among them, the Lady-in-Waiting who was specifically identified as having been with me last looked at me with such pitiful eyes, begging for mercy, but I avoided her gaze.
‘The fact that he appeared the moment I was alone suggests there’s an inside accomplice—at least someone connected to this.’
Though I wonder if they’d go this far, a madman’s way of thinking is always different from that of a sane person.
From the way she was trembling, it was clear that even if she had cooperated, she’d never expected him to do something this extreme. But there was no reason for me, the victim, to sympathize with her.
I leaned into the arms of the sister who came running in alarm, heaving a sigh. This was after the frightened Ladies-in-Waiting had wiped away the filth that had splattered on me.
“What in the world is the meaning of this. You must have been terrified.”
“Y-y-yes.”
Of course I was terrified—I’d been alone with a madman.
Though I don’t think it would have made much difference if there had been other people.
The creature who got hit by the sikhye bowl I threw probably has a different opinion, but that’s none of my concern.
My sister murmured quietly, her face drained of color.
“While I may be expendable, such a thing cannot be done to the Young Miss.”
She seemed more shocked than I was, so I patted her shoulder to reassure her, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
“I swear I will protect the Young Miss.”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t difficult to understand what those words meant.
Soon after, the King, having heard the news, came to find us, and my sister made her plea before him with tears in her eyes.
Usually she would simply greet the King with composure, and the two of them would chat together while looking at me, but this changed atmosphere didn’t sit well with me at all.
‘To think that protecting one’s own child requires pleading through tears.’
The King was greatly angered upon learning that someone had done this intentionally, but it seemed unlikely he could uncover that the culprit was Gyeong Eon Gun.
Gyeong Eon Gun’s scream, made before his voice had changed, hadn’t sounded like that of a boy, and there were countless Court Ladies who could have been suspects.
‘Even if I testified that Gyeong Eon Gun did it, they’d dismiss it as the unreliable words of a child who can barely speak properly yet.’
Above all, if the Inner Palace were thrown into chaos now when the position of Queen remained vacant, it would give weight to the argument that a Queen must be appointed.
Would a King reluctant to hold the selection of a Queen do such a thing merely for a princess?
‘Moreover, even if the King were to know that it was Gyeong Eon Gun’s doing, revealing it would damage propriety and be difficult to punish.’
But at least if I didn’t somehow prevent the person responsible for this incident from doing it again, such attacks would repeat themselves.
The problem was that there was no real way to stop a prince.
The King didn’t seem particularly fond of her, yet Young Bin remained the most promising candidate for Crown Princess.
‘The main reason isn’t just her family—it’s her son.’
By age, he was the King’s Second Son. Though the Crown Prince existed, the ability to bear children well was one of the crucial factors in selecting a Crown Princess.
I heard that though she’d passed away early, besides Gyeong Eon Gun she’d given birth to two royal daughters—no wonder she was a strong candidate.
Meanwhile, Seon Bin, the mother of the third son Gyeong Won Gun, had a milder temperament than Young Bin, but her frail health was a significant disadvantage.
‘But if Young Bin becomes Crown Princess, I’m worried about my future.’
Everyone was keeping quiet about it now, but someday the King would learn the truth about Gyeong Eon Gun.
‘But even if he’s not the Crown Prince, Joseon princes killed people without facing serious punishment. Killing animals shouldn’t be…….’
Of course, it was uncertain how long he’d limit himself to animals.
It wasn’t uncommon to hear of such cases beginning with killing small creatures and eventually progressing to harming people.
‘If he truly becomes Crown Prince, what will he do next?’
As expected, the truth that Gyeong Eon Gun was the culprit never came to light.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the King ordered an investigation of sorts, but since it was a matter of the Inner Palace, conducting a proper inquiry seemed difficult. In the process, several innocent court ladies suffered, and numerous Lady-in-Waitings in the Inner Palace Residence were replaced.
Thanks to this, my sister was so flustered that she even begged him to stop.
After that, the King reinforced security again, increased the number of people assigned to the Inner Palace Residence, and visited more frequently.
And my sister’s rank rose.
“There was an unfortunate incident, yet my rank has risen—I’m quite embarrassed, Your Majesty.”
“Yoon the Concubine did nothing wrong, so what is there to be embarrassed about? Your Majesty’s favor is so extraordinary that this is only natural.”
Seon Bin’s face was remarkably bright as she spoke.
“I hear Young Bin was so furious when she learned that Yoon the Concubine’s rank had risen that the court ladies are afraid to even approach Chui Yeong Hall?”
The two of them, who had grown quite close through their shared enemy, whispered and laughed softly together.
After that day, no more unfortunate incidents occurred.
Who would dare do such a thing at the residence of a concubine favored by the King? Besides, if such an incident happened again after the King’s visits, this time it would certainly not be overlooked quietly.
“What is it that brings you such joy?”
“We were discussing the young royal daughter, Your Majesty.”
And so, after my sister became closer to the King, it was Seon Bin and Gyeong Won Gun who unexpectedly benefited from this development.
“Little one.”
“Yes. Si A, don’t you miss your father?”
“I do.”
Truthfully, I see him quite often.
“Why don’t you try calling me ‘Father’ soon?”
“Eh?”
I giggled and dodged the answer.
Then, I ran straight to Gyeong Won Gun, who was standing remarkably solemn for a child, and expressed my affection vigorously.
Which is to say, I threw a body blow at him.
He seemed used to it now, laughing softly as he caught me.
“Si A is quite fond of Gyeong Won Gun.”
“Since he’s closest in age among the royal children, she seems to feel a natural affection for him.”
“That’s surely not the only reason. Gyeong Won Gun is considerate of Si A, so the child understands and follows him. Indeed, Gyeong Won Gun seems to have inherited Seon Bin’s gentle nature.”
“You are too kind.”
After that incident, our mother and I grew closer to Gyeong Won Gun and Seon Bin, and naturally the standing of both increased with the King as well.
Seon Bin and my mother seemed to have no ambitions or interests, so they rarely competed with each other and remained intimate, which put the King at ease. Thanks to this, such peaceful moments became more frequent.
At first glance, it seemed that day’s incident had turned into a blessing, but it wasn’t quite so simple.
“You seem troubled by state affairs.”
“…… The ministers always say the same things.”
The King gave a bitter smile, and both Seon Bin and my sister lowered their heads in silence.
‘The pressure regarding the Crown Princess position has only intensified because of that incident.’
With turmoil arising in the Inner Palace while the seat of Crown Princess remained vacant, the ministers’ arguments that a Crown Princess must be appointed gained force, just as expected.
Seon Bin, one of the Crown Princess candidates, could not speak, and a concubine who had only just received her rank appointment certainly could not venture into such matters either.
“Hehe, is this for me?”
“Yes.”
So in moments like this, all I can do is lighten the mood.
I took some refreshment and offered it to the King.
“It tastes even sweeter when Si A feeds me.”
“It does.”
“Now, why don’t you try calling me ‘Father’…….”
“Nno.”
At his persistent request, I turned my head sharply away, and the King burst into hearty laughter.
‘I’m just a child—why do I have to do this labor?’
It’s the price of room and board.
I tried to brainwash myself by repeating the phrase “earning my keep,” but it didn’t last long.
“Oh my, you difficult child. How can you be so…….”
“Whimper……?”
Was I really going to subject a child as young as myself to such exhausting mental labor? Cry? I was going to cry?
The moment my face twisted, the King hastily pressed an apple slice into my hand.
“No, no. Here, eat this and go play.”
“Mm.”
I took the apple in one hand and quickly put distance between myself and the King.
‘I’ve done my part.’
Now all I had to do was run around for a while, pretend to fall asleep from exhaustion, and I’d have earned my keep for the day.
And in most cases, I really did fall asleep.
‘Babies are supposed to nap during the day, anyway.’
Whenever I dozed off, the Court Ladies would carry me to the Inner Palace Residence or somewhere quiet to rest.
Once they noticed that I tossed and turned whenever people were nearby, the Court Ladies took to laying me gently on a blanket and slipping away as soon as I closed my eyes.
Today was no exception.
These days, with everything so tense, they usually stood guard outside the room, but when I woke from my afternoon nap today, strangely, no one was in sight.
‘It’s still broad daylight, and they’ve been doing regular patrols lately, so it should be fine.’
They weren’t fools—Gyeong Eon Gun’s people were certainly on alert.
Finding the area seemingly empty, I opened my mouth and began Vocal Training.
“Ah-nah-dah—”
“What are you doing there?”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I’m your brother.”
Fortunately, the one who appeared was Gyeong Won Gun.
‘I didn’t see him because he’s so small.’
So that’s why none of the Court Ladies were around—this child must have insisted on staying.
“Last time you seemed to speak properly.”
“Dummy.”
“Where did you pick up such words…… Wait, so you don’t speak properly after all? Why won’t you talk in front of Father?”
“Hmph.”
“You stubborn thing. Fine, if you don’t want to speak, then don’t.”
Gyeong Won Gun seemed amused by something and began pinching my cheeks while laughing.
“Has Gyeong Eon Gun been bothering you again?”
“Mm?”
“The Crown Prince has been worried about you too.”
“Oh?”
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Crown Prince. Is he busy?
“And I’ve been thinking—perhaps what happened was because of what I did that day, catching Gyeong Won Gun here.”
“It’s fine.”
Because this little one was being unnecessarily self-reproachful, I’d gone and spoken again.
Ugh, because of one madman, what is this mess?
When I patted his shoulder, Gyeong Won Gun patted my head in return and whispered.
“The Crown Prince said that someone will always be watching over you. So don’t worry. If anything happens, he will protect you.”
“……!!”
What—they assigned someone to watch me?
“Mm?”
“For a while, you won’t be alone, so that’s good, but you should try not to go to the Pond if you can. Gyeong Eon Gun might…… No, forget I said that. In any case, it’s dangerous, so don’t go to the Pond. Do you understand?”
“Mm?”
“……I’m holding you here and I don’t even know if what I’m saying makes sense. No, you do understand, right?”
And here was a child already having to carry such worries on his shoulders.
‘The Crown Prince seems to have a lot on his mind too. He’s kind enough, but he doesn’t seem particularly decisive. Not that I could scheme anything anyway, just because I’ve seen a bit of palace intrigue in historical dramas…….’
Trying to think such heavy thoughts with such a small head made it feel like my skull would split.
These were hardly the worries a toddling baby should have to bear.
‘Sigh. I should just be happy eating and sleeping.’
But I couldn’t leave it at that.
I couldn’t sleep peacefully knowing I was letting the one who’d dumped such ominous threats on a young child run free.
Of course, I’d given him a little retaliation that day with a Porcelain Bowl of Sikhye, but who knew when he’d come back causing trouble again?
I could barely get words out—I was in no position to handle him.
Not even his younger brother Gyeong Won Gun could manage; really, only someone of the Crown Prince’s stature could stop him.
Even if I went and confessed it all to the King, I couldn’t imagine what would actually happen to him.
It was not unheard of for princes to commit grave wrongs only to have them quietly smoothed over.
‘You’d need to commit something truly heinous.’
Perhaps something on the scale of the Crown Prince—throwing his own nursing infant into the Pond?
And crucially, the King and many others would have to know of it.
‘But how could anyone manage that? The conditions are impossibly strict.’
No matter how one looked at it, disposing of Gyeong Eon Gun seemed nearly impossible.
Which is why what happened not long after was, by any honest accounting, merely chance—no scheming of mine.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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